Good News for Current Overseas Student in Australia. 

It was announced today by the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, Mr Philip Ruddock, that transitional arrangements for overseas students wanting to remain in Australia after completing their studies will be brought into effect. 

The transitional arrangements will now mean overseas students currently studying, or who have studied, in Australia, AND who were studying in Australia on or before 31 March 2003, can have their application to remain in Australia considered under the current one-year study requirement.  

To take advantage of the transitional arrangements, the students have until 1 April 2004 to lodge an Application to Remain in Australia under the General Skilled Migration category. 

The Application to remain permanently in Australia, to be valid under these Classes of Visa, must be lodged within six (6) months of the student ‘completing’ their studies in Australia. 

Though the recently announced changes to the On-Shore Skilled Migration programme will still be introduced, the potential problem faced by current student will be avoided with these transitional arrangements announced by Mr Ruddock.